Permutation switch



June 11, 1963 S. NYBERG PERMUTATION SWITCH Filed March 7, 1961 "VI/EWTOR STURE NYBERG Y A'r'remcEY United States Patent 3,093,714 PERMUTATION SWITCH Sture Nyberg, Zug, Switzerland, assignor to Anstalt Europaische Handelsgesellschaft, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Filed Mar. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 94,006 Claims priority, application Switzerland Mar. 8, 1960 '4 Claims. (Cl. 200-43) The present invention relates to permutation switches of the type used particularly for coding and/or decoding apparatus having a plurality of switch rotors which are mounted on a common shaft and may be rotated relatively to each other and which are provided on their sides facing each other with wiping contacts adapted to pass on the information from rotor to rotor.

In order to obtain a correct and reliable operation, switches of this type must be provided with relatively high contact pressures, primarily in order to compensate for or avoid the inevitable soiling of the contact surfaces. Increased contact pressure, of course, results into high friction and an increased Wear of the contacts, which fact on the one hand leads to an early destruction of the contacts and on the other hand facilitates the occurrence of short circuits between adjacent contacts owing to the deposition of metal dust thereon.

According to the invention the permutation switch comprises a plurality of rotors axially movable to separate from each other by the action of clutch means responsive to relative angular displacement of adjacent rotors, for the purpose of reducing the contact pressure of said wiping contacts during a switching operation.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing illustrating, by way of example, a view in elevation, partly drawn in section, of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The Walls 1 of a switch casing, not further illustrated, carry a shaft 2 having mounted thereon rotors 3, 4 and 5, so as to be rotatable and movable in axial direction on the shaft. At both sides of the rotors 3, 4 and 5 end members 6 and 7, respectively, are mounted on the shaft 2 so as to be axially movable but not rotatable with respect to the shaft. Compression springs 8 are inserted between the end members 6, 7 and the adjacent walls 1 of the casing, which springs urge the rotors towards each other by the intermediary of the said end members 6 and 7. The edge portions of the sides of the end members facing the wheels 3 and 5, respectively, and the sides of the rotors 3, 4 and 5 facing each other are provided with cooperating serrations 9 forming disengageable clutches. It will be understood that in such an arrangement a rotation of one of the rotors with respect to the adjacent rotor or end member always produces a concurrent relative movement in axial direction.

The sides of the rotors 3, 4 and 5 facing each other are provided with contacts, uniformly distributed in circumferential direction; these contacts are provided on surface portions of the rotor sides which are axially set back with respect to the serrations 9. Thus, the two sides of the rotor 4 carry each a series of fixed contacts 10 while the sides of the rotors 3 and 5 facing the rotor 4 carry each a series of resilient contact tongues 11, cooperating with the fixed contacts in the manner of wiping contacts. It will be understood that the spacing of the contacts and the pitch of the serrations 9 are so adjusted with respect to each other that the rotors can be advanced step by step through an angular movement corresponding to the desired change of contact.

Each rotor 3, 4 and 5 is provided on its circumference with a gear rim 12. These gear rims 12 mesh each with a pinion 13. The pinions are mounted on a shaft 14 and are driven independently in a manner known per se by a control device generally indicated by the reference 15 in the drawing. Construction and mode of operation of such a control device 15 are known to the person skilled in the art and form no part of the present invention. For example, U.S. Patent No. 1,683,072 describes in detail a control device which may be used with the apparatus of the present invention.

Since the rotors, as already mentioned, are axially separated from each other during each switching operation, the required sufiicient contact pressure can easily be maintained between the contacts 10 and 11 and the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided. When the rotors are moved apart from each other, the contact pressure will be reduced and may easily reach the value 0. Neither excessive friction nor excessive Wear Will then occur, but the undiminished contact pressure is again effective after the completion of a switching step and absolutely reliable communication of the information from rotor to rotor is obtained.

The amount of energy necessary for disengaging the rotors can be kept low by a suitable shape of the serrations 9. On the other hand, the control device 15 can be formed so that, when several rotors are to be simultaneously switched, these are always the two rotors situated adjacent to each other, the remaining rotors which are coupled to the rotors then rotating concurrently with one of the rotors. A relative rotation thus will occur only between two adjacent rotors to be switched.

'In the preceding description of the invention disengageable serrations have been mentioned as means for axially urging apart the rotors in response to their relative rotation, solely for the sake of easy demonstration. The expert, however, has at his disposal numerous possibilities which permit to realize the object of the invention also by other mechanic, electric, pneumatic or hydraulic disengageable clutch means without departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example, the disengageable claws may be replaced by expanding members engageable with adjacent rotors, or by balls inserted in a cage and engaging into recesses provided on the opposite sides of the rotors.

I claim:

1. A permutation switch, particularly for coding and/ or decoding apparatus, comprising a supporting shaft, a plurality of rotors mounted for relative rotation and axial movement on said shaft, coacting wiping contacts provided on the sides of said rotors facing each other, said Wiping contacts being adapted to pass information from rotor to rotor, said rotors normally lying in axially converged relation in which at least one of said contacts, on one rotor, may engage at least one of said contacts on the facing side of an adjacent rotor, each of said rotors being moveable angularly relative to at least one adjacent rotor to change the switching position of at least some of said contacts, and means responsive to angular movement of any of said rotors relative to an adjacent rotor to axially separate the relatively moving adjacent rotors and thereby reduce the contact pressure of said coacting wiping contacts.

2. A permutation switch comprising a supporting shaft, a plurality of relatively rotatable and relatively axially movable rotors mounted side by side on said shaft, coacting wiping contacts on the sides of said rotors facing each other, the sides of adjacent rotors facing each other being provided with intermeshing serrations, and resilient means acting on said rotors for yieldably holding said rotors in an axially converged relation in which the serrations of adjacent rotors are in intermeshing engagement and in which at least one of said contacts, on one rotor, may engage at least one of said contacts, on the facing side of an adjacent rotor, each of said rotors being rotatable relative to at least one adjacent rotor to change the switching position of at least some of said contacts, whereby upon rotation of any of said rotors relative to an adjacent rotor to cause relative axial movement of the relatively rotating rotors whereby to reduce the contact pressure of said coacting wiping contacts as their switching positions are changed.

3. A permutation switch as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for controlling the switching of said rotors, said means being operable to turn one of said rotors relatively to another of them and at the same time to cause the remaining rotors to turn with said one rotor.

4. A permutation switch comprising:

a supporting shaft,

at least three rotors rotatably mounted side by side and axially slidable on said shaft,

coacting wiping contacts on the sides of said rotors facing each other,

said facing sides of adjacent rotors being provided with intermeshing serrations,

resilient means acting on said rotors for yieldingly holding them in axially converged relation in which the serrations of adjacent rotors are in intermeshing engagement and in which at least one of said contacts, on one rotor, may engage at least one of said contacts on the facing side of an adjacent rotor,

a peripheral ring gear on each of said rotors,

and a plurality of independently rotatable pinions, each meshing with one of said ring gears, for selectively rotating said rotors one relative to another and thereby changing the switching position of at least some of said contacts,

said serrations defining cooperating cam surfaces which upon such relative rotation cause axial separation of adjacent relatively rotating rotors whereby to reduce the contact pressure of said coacting wiping contacts as their switching positions are changed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

4. A PERMUTATION SWITCH COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING SHAFT, AT LEAST THREE ROTORS ROTATABLY MOUNTED SIDE BY SIDE AND AXIALLY SLIDABLE ON SAID SHAFT, COACTING WIPING CONTACTS ON THE SIDES OF SAID ROTORS FACING EACH OTHER, SAID FACING SIDES OF ADJACENT ROTORS BEING PROVIDED WITH INTERMESHING SERRATIONS, RESILIENT MEANS ACTING ON SAID ROTORS FOR YIELDING HOLDING THEM IN AXIALLY CONVERGED RELATION IN WHICH THE SERRATIONS OF ADJACENT ROTORS ARE IN INTERMESHING ENGAGEMENT AND IN WHICH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONTACTS, ON ONE ROTOR, MAY ENGAGE AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONTACTS ON THE FACING SIDE OF AN ADJACENT ROTOR, A PHERIPHERAL RING GEAR ON EACH OF SAID ROTORS, AND A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENTLY ROTATABLE PINIONS, EACH MESHING WITH ONE OF SAID RING GEARS, FOR SELECTIVELY ROTATING SAID ROTORS ONE RELATIVE TO ANOTHER AND THEREBY CHANGING THE SWITCHING POSITION OF AT LEAST SOME OF SAID CONTACTS, SAID SERRATIONS DEFINING COOPERATING CAM SURFACE WHICH UPON SUCH RELATIVE ROTATIONS CAUSE AXIAL SEPARATION OF ADJACENT RELATIVELY ROTATING ROTORS WHEREBY TO REDUCE THE CONTACT PRESSURE OF SAID COACTING WIPING CONTACTS AS THEIR SWITCHING POSITIONS ARE CHANGED. 